Why Did People Support the Nazi Party? (Edexcel GCSE History)

Why Did the Popularity of the Nazi Party Explode, 1929-32? - Summary

The German people experienced a variety of push and pull factors that increased the popularity of the Nazi Party, 1929-32.

Some Germans were ‘pushed’ towards fascism because of the Wall Street Crash. Experiencing a second economic crisis within a decade made people lose hope in Weimar politicians. They distrusted democracy as they could not see the Weimar Republic working in times of crisis. Weimar politicians had implemented democracy in Germany in 1919. Before this, Kaiser Wilhelm II ran Germany as an autocratic monarchy. More Germans began to wish for the return of a totalitarian government. A strong government would take control of Germany and resolve the country’s issues.

There were multiple ‘pull’ factors of the NSDAP for Germans. Hitler understood the frustrations of the people and offered solutions. A popular aspect of the Nazi Party’s campaign was the reversal of the Treaty of Versailles. Many Germans traced the issues of 1929-32 to the signing of the Treaty in 1919. Hitler used this hatred to bring people together and offer solutions to their problems. Nazi propaganda, under the supervision of Joseph Goebbels, specifically targeted the needs of different groups in society. This widened the appeal of the NSDAP.

Hitler & the SA

• The situation in Weimar Germany forced the public to look for alternative solutions

  • Germany was experiencing an economic and unemployment crisis after the Wall Street Crash

  • The Weimar political system was failing

    • People started to lose faith in democracy. An increasing amount of the German public believed that the Weimar government was inefficient and corrupt

  • Germans believed that other countries bullied their country in political affairs

    • They were angry that the economic and foreign policies of Stresemann meant that other countries like the USA dictated their economic success

• Hitler’s ideas began to appeal to a broader audience

  • Hitler promised to restore law and order

    • Homelessness increased violence on the streets, particularly among unemployed young men

    • The NSDAP promised that, if elected, they would provide “Bread and Work” to the unemployed

    • The SA were large enough to enforce law and order

  • Hitler rallied the people around the issue of the Treaty of Versailles

    • It was a popular belief in Germany that the government should ignore the Treaty because its terms were so unfair

• Hitler’s political campaigns in 1930 and 1932 also increased his popularity

  • Financial support from big businesses funded Hitler’s tour around Germany. During the tour, Hitler:

    • Used his oration talents to make numerous speeches to the people

    • Hired aeroplanes for travel across the country

    • Organised impressive marches and rallies

  • Goebbels also used the money to produce posters, radio broadcasts and pamphlets to spread Nazi propaganda

• The SA also appealed to Germans

  • Having a uniformed army made the NSDAP look disciplined

  • In an economic crisis, the Nazi Party had the manpower to keep law and order

  • The NSDAP’s paramilitary forces were much stronger than the KPD

    • The SA had 400,000 members and the KPD’s Red Front Fighters numbered 130,000

    • The elections of 1930 and 1932 were violent. The SA intimidated candidates, broke into rival political parties' headquarters and disrupted their rallies

What Groups of People Supported Hitler?

Big businesses

• Hitler persuaded big businessmen like Benz and Krupps to fund the NSDAP

Working-class support

• The NSDAP tried to become the party of the workers

  • They were named the National Socialist German Workers’ Party

  • The NSDAP targeted many of their policies towards the working classes. These include the redistribution of land and improved working conditions

• The NSDAP had some election success with the workers but never gained the majority of the working-class vote

Middle-class support

• The middle classes contained teachers, lawyers and smaller business owners

  • They often owned property and had savings

• From 1929 to 1933, the middle classes no longer supported moderate parties

Farmers

• Farmers were poorly treated under the Weimar Republic

  • High debt, low prices and increasing taxes damaged the standard of living in farming communities

  • By 1929, the income of agricultural workers was 44% below the national average

• Farmers initially did not like the NSDAP

  • The Twenty-Five Point Programme created a policy of confiscating all private land. Under this policy, farmers would lose their income

  • The Nazi Party changed their policy to say that, if the people voted for the NSDAP, they would only confiscate land owned by the Jewish people 

• In 1930, the Nazi Party gained 60% of the rural vote in some areas

  

Young people

• Young people suffered greatly from the economic crisis in the 1930s

  • By January 1933, unemployment hit 6.1 million people

  • Half of all 16 and 30-year-olds did not work

Women

• Initially, women did not support the Nazi Party

  • The Nazi Party did not like the 'New Women' movement

  • Hitler wanted women to focus on being housewives and mothers rather than workers

• NSDAP propaganda targeted women by stating that:

  • Voting for the Nazi Party would be the best for the country

  • Hitler’s government would provide a successful future for their children

• Nazi propaganda began to persuade more women to vote for the NSDAP

National Unity

• While the Nazi Party appealed to separate groups, Hitler also aimed to target the nation as a whole

  • Campaigning for national unity was a new concept in German politics

  • Bringing the whole nation together increased support for the NSDAP

• The Nazi Party chose matters that unified the majority of the nation

  • He reminded Germans of the dolchstoss committed by the Weimar government in 1919. He campaigned for revenge on the ‘November Criminals’ for ending the First World War and signing the Treaty of Versailles

  • He accused the Jewish people of being ‘enemies of Germany’. He argued that the Jewish people were responsible for all of Germany’s issues

  • He promoted the return to traditional values